TATTOOS-Becoming more socially acceptable [Archive]

Bren

5th October 2008, 12:34

We all know this is a fact nowadays, along with body modifications, but this article about visible tattoos in the workplace backs it up.

WHO in the world gets a neck tattoo (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/t/tattoos/index.html)? A couple of years back you could have narrowed the answer to gang members, prison inmates, members of the Russian mob and the rapper Lil Wayne. Then something occurred.

In a mysterious and inexorable process that seems to transform all that is low culture into something high, permanent ink markings began creeping toward the traditional no-go zones for all kinds of people, past collar and cuffs, those twin lines of clothed demarcation that even now some tattoo artists are reluctant to cross.

Defining what the courts in the Cloutier case called a “neat, clean and professional” workplace image becomes more challenging when you consider that in 2006, a Pew Research Center (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/organizations/p/pew_research_center/index.html?inline=nyt-org) survey found that 36 percent of people age 18 to 25, and 40 percent of those age 26 to 40, have at least one tattoo.

Full Story Here (http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/25/fashion/25tattoo.html?_r=3&ei=5070&emc=eta1&oref=slogin&oref=slogin&oref=slogin)

I have considered previously getting tattoos that extend up to my neck, but the stigma involved has always held me back. Personally I don't think I ever will, but I don't see anything wrong with people who get tattoos in visible places (in that I mean after the overalls or business suit have gone on).

I guess it is just a sign of the times, mainstream is not as well defined as it was 20 years ago. No longer are things in black and white, but in subtle shades of grey.

A question goes out to those tattooed. Are your tatts visible after your work clothes are on?

nudemetalz

5th October 2008, 12:40

I'm organising getting my first tattoo next week. My wife already has one and we are "socially acceptable" people we think (well maybe not according to the Wellington Bucket Racing people...).

Mine will be on my arm so not visible unless I make it.

Bren

5th October 2008, 12:46

nudemetalz

5th October 2008, 12:58

Mine is going to be of an eagle,.....
Guess what type ? (I'll give you a clue,..Mandello....)

avgas

5th October 2008, 13:06

it really depends what it is of.
as general if you can hide it its probably better.
I mean i wouldn't hire a person if i could see a tatt of the Waikato Waiter on them.........why get your skin cut for something so laim.
Likewise i don't understand why skinheads get "skinhead" tattoo'ed visibly on themselves.....such an oxymoron really.

Headbanger

5th October 2008, 13:19

it really depends what it is of.
.

No it doesn't.

All it depends on is if the owner wants to display it to people or not, and if so under what conditions. Someone who gets a tatt you don't like ain't going to give a fuck if you don't like it.

Curious_AJ

5th October 2008, 14:24

one (big one) of mine is visible after i put my scrub top or work t-shirt on. this is providing that i dont have a long sleeved top on underneath of course (the tat is on my upper right arm).

My boss and the other nurse just asked me interested questions about it when they first saw it, they didnt mind in the slightest. I also get asked questions about it by the clients and they dont mind either (I'm a vet nurse btw). I dunno if it's just the job or what, but yeah, people dont seem to mind it very much.

My other tat, the first one i got, is on my left shoulder blade and is quite small, i did it that way just as a cautious first move really. you can only really see it when i wear singlets (which is 90% of the time in summer) or if i'm in my bikini etc etc. I also get questions about that one when it can be seen...

I find most people are more socially accepting these days definately.

(however, my mom cried when she saw the one on my arm.... heh.. oops)

Curious_AJ

5th October 2008, 14:26

Rollestonchick

5th October 2008, 14:34

Tatts are addictive, i have 3 (and already planning my fourth). No they arent visible after i get ready for work. I choose to wear polo shirts to work(am a caregiver) They are all on my shoulder blades, so unless i want people to see them,ie wearing a singlet top, outside work hours, They dont even know that i have tattoos.

I think there is still stigma with visable tattoos, especially neck and facial. My son has just got his first tattoo, on his lower left arm. We discussed the pros and cons, of where and what. Before he went ahead. Unfortunately some in society still take people from first impressions. It wasnt long ago, my friend didnt get a job in a shoe retail store, because she had a tattoo on her ankle

Trumpess

5th October 2008, 14:49

Mine are on my back aswell. They are there specifically so I can cover up easily. I got mine when I was 21-22.
I will certianly get more when my fledglings have flown the nest. My little money drainers :lol:
They are not a cheap excersise but I do plan on my back being covered.
I can just imagine the courisoty of my grandkiddies when they come about.

I find some of the older generation are the ones with the problem and create the stigma attached to tatts.
I think it is becoming more socially acceptable as we go on through the years, as there are more and more people adorning them.
Alot being the younger generation.

I love tatts, I think they are awesome!

fire eyes

5th October 2008, 15:12

I have a tat behind my ear on my neck ....love it, can be hidden by my hair but I don't hide any of my tats in the hope that someone elses irrelevent opinion might consider, me a better person, Im already a bloody awesome person! lol .. I chose certain places for my tats based on my personal preferences! I think tats/taa moko are just soooo sexy .. :love:

avgas

5th October 2008, 15:17

No it doesn't.

All it depends on is if the owner wants to display it to people or not, and if so under what conditions. Someone who gets a tatt you don't like ain't going to give a fuck if you don't like it.
whoa calm down fella....
i never said tatts are bad - all im saying is pick your battles man.
Sad fact of the matter is we all judge people on their looks.
So if you want to look like a cross between a celtic dragon and the daily news then YES that is a personality choice - just like the one the employer will do when he choses not to hire the tattoo'ee due to apperance.
Would you elect a prime minister that had "Fuck your family" accross their forehead? While it doesn't matter a fuck about what others think about you - it does matter to how the world operates around you.
Shame really as its the age old saying "Book not the cover".
Had a friend once get his tatt removed as he kept failing interviews - naked women on the back of the hand doesn't do so well in the consulting industry.
Thankfully that was all as he has some of the most awesome art on his back and shoulders. And he is now hired by one of the largest consultancy's in the world.

Headbanger

5th October 2008, 15:36

Ah, It wasn't meant to come across as confrontational, Just a statement.

People who get tatts in obvious places can expect to be judged on them, They have made a decision to present themselves in that way, Its not about what the actual image is, as the choice of image is again a decision made by the owner of the skin.

If they have no concept of what a certain tattoo on their hand will do for them then the judgement made by others is quite correct.....They are an idiot.

KiwiRat

5th October 2008, 15:49

I have full sleeves with my hands professionally done, a full back job, my chest, and my upper thighs. Oh yeah, also the back of my neck. All finished before I turned 21. Some years ago.

I work in a corporate environment, without the hassle of a suit, and tattoos haven't hurt my career any. I wear short sleeves all year round. ( I love air con ) My employers know I'm capable of doing the job, and that's all that really matters to them.

5th October 2008, 16:02

Tattoos are gross

Curious_AJ

5th October 2008, 16:08

Tattoos are gross

that's your opinion...

but personally I find them beautiful. and excellent way of expressing one's self. mien are all very special and very significant t me and i'm sure a lot of people would say the same thing...

KiwiRat

5th October 2008, 16:11

Tattoos are bad, mkay.

:laugh::laugh:

5th October 2008, 16:19

:laugh::laugh:

:shifty::msn-wink:

Beemer

5th October 2008, 16:38

I have four - one that VERY few people have ever seen (on my left cheek, if you catch my drift!) and three that are visible if I wear a strapless top or something with a deep vee-neck. If I was about to get them done now, I would have them done a bit lower or on my back rather than my chest, but the only time it created a problem was when shopping for wedding dresses - and even then they modified the one I liked. Most people don't know I've got them and I've had them for more than 20 years now.

The first one was a swallow - didn't really know what I wanted but knew it wasn't going to be a rose or a butterfly or a dolphin! The second is a tiger as I was born in the year of the tiger, the third the two Pisces fish (my birth sign) and the fourth the Chinese symbol for Pisces. So a bit of thought went into those as they meant something to me personally.

As I was writing an order out a guy once said to me "you've got a tattoo!" and I said "yes, and you're obviously looking down my top to know that!" None are visible wearing normal work clothes and it's only in summer when wearing thinner tops or ones that are lower cut that they are seen. I doubt my inlaws know about them but my parents were cool with them.

Headbanger

5th October 2008, 16:58

It should be mandatory for the ladies to post pics......

Blossom

5th October 2008, 17:05

I have 2. One medium sized one on my left shoulder blade of a rose which I got on my 17th birthday and a dumb arsed swazsticker I got on the inside of my right ankle when I was 16 and very very drunk at a party.. (My mum said I should find new friends but I was a bit of a slow learner) That one has been partially removed and is now an inocuious looking cross.

Only time I have ever cared that I had a negitive reaction to my tattoo was the day I met my father in Law to be. It was the middle of summer when we visited and he had a pool. I took my top off to go for a swim (yes i had togs underneath) and all I could hear was a gasping of air behind me...
sigh...
Took him 3 years to get over it and finally start seeing me, not my tattoo or the culture he believed I was a part of because I had a tattoo...
Yeah it was a pain in the ass...but my FIL is a pain in the ass...
And at least I still get to enjoy the tattoo.

Nagash

5th October 2008, 17:36

Totally agree the tatto's are addictive, only have one at this point which I got when I was 15, next tatt coming in a couple of months time.. full arm sleeves.

Been drawing it from inspiration i've gathered over the past 3 years..

Full torso will be next.

I have too much money for my age.. have to spend it on something.

ynot slow

5th October 2008, 17:39

Have one on arm,visible wearing t shirt or short sleeves.Not keen on one on neck,anyone who has had chemo enfused into the neck will understand,rather tender and when the site needs to be stitched is a strange feeling,had it under local and felt strange,not pain but uncomfortable.Any where else ok,thinking of arm band next.

alanzs

5th October 2008, 18:11

I have a full back/shoulder and a couple on my leg. They are pieces of art that mean a lot to me for personal reasons. I look forward to being 110 years old and knowing that I have enjoyed a full, rich life. My body art is part of that richness.

Forest

5th October 2008, 19:32

It is hard to generalise about tattoos, since they vary so much in subject matter and quality of execution.

I have a couple of tattoos but all of them are placed so that they are hidden under a polo shirt and shorts.

MisterD

5th October 2008, 19:37

I blame David Beckham. Oh, and Robbie Williams...I'm part of the counter culture - I have no tattoos.

The Pastor

5th October 2008, 19:45

I got a swaskita on my forehead, and my boss fired me :( so yeah tats are bad

Charlie41

5th October 2008, 19:59

Tattoos rock!!! They are totally addictive...I have 3 and planning the next 1LOL. 2 on my back not visible at work. 1 on my stomach/hip bone sometimes...when I wear short tops. But no issues at work

1 Free Man

5th October 2008, 20:39

heard a discussion with regards to tattoo's on the radio the other day. The general consensus years ago was that if you had tattoo's you were a hardcore biker, an ex or practicing criminal or a merchant seaman.
Whatever you were regarded as being a somewhat sketchy dude and should be given a wide berth.
Nowday's everyones doing it. That is to say they are expressing their own individuality.
People are more aware nowdays that they don't have to "CONFORM" to suite the considered norm. Today there is no norm THANK GO FOR THAT!!!!
I got my first tattoo at 54. It's my family badge. the next will be the family crest or coat of arms (see below) from my father's side and then it will be the coat of arms from my mother's side. For me it's an expression of my pride in my heritage.
My Dad would have kicked my arse if he had still been alive but I think deep down he would have been proud. I know I am. My son has the same Tattoo on his back. 3 times the size of mine and I am proud of his pride in his family name and heritage.
" 'S RIOGHAL MO DHREAM " (Royal is my race.)

McJim

5th October 2008, 20:43

If you really want to express yourself buy a breast pump.:rofl:

I chose to be an individual. I reckon pretty soon I'l be the only person left in the world without a tattoo.

scumdog

5th October 2008, 20:49

If you really want to express yourself buy a breast pump.:rofl:

I chose to be an individual. I reckon pretty soon I'l be the only person left in the world without a tattoo.

But what about all them piercings eh? eh?:laugh:

McJim

5th October 2008, 20:52

But what about all them piercings eh? eh?:laugh:

Well if it was good enough for Queen Victorias husband......I thought you said ye didnae take a peek at the Vincent Rally? :rofl:

sAsLEX

5th October 2008, 21:00

merchant seaman.

What about us serving?

I know the vast majority of the Navy has a tat or two.

Bren

5th October 2008, 21:04

Well if it was good enough for Queen Victorias husband......I thought you said ye didnae take a peek at the Vincent Rally? :rofl:

please dont tell me that it is a "Prince Albert"

fire eyes

5th October 2008, 21:43

:shit:

+ 10 characters

Forest

5th October 2008, 22:06

please dont tell me that it is a "Prince Albert"

I've always thought of a Prince Albert as the human equivalent of throwing a rod through the crankcase.

LilSel

5th October 2008, 23:52

Only the one on my wrist is visable when in a short sleeved work shirt :)
If I need it not to be seen (which has never happened) I can just wear one of my many long sleeved work shirts :)

no-coast-punk

6th October 2008, 01:05

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3136/2517246885_bb566c2831_o.jpg

Anyone over there work with UV inks? Even though the UV shit hurts about eleventybillion times more than regular tattoo's I still want to get more done.

buellbabe

6th October 2008, 06:06

That UV tat looks cool!

I've got a couple, ankle and chest. Since I am in jeans at work not many people have seen the ankle one but the one on my chest is usually about half visible.

There has only ever been one time when I wished that the one on my chest was in a different place and thats when I was wearing a cocktail dress going to a flash do...hate to say it but the tat really spoilt the look.

Grahameeboy

6th October 2008, 06:18

Monie

6th October 2008, 07:16

i like them i have two one on the left check and one on the right check... my bum ....

sunhuntin

6th October 2008, 07:47

It is addicting getting tattoos...I have four currently...largest one is a dragon that goes from my shoulder to my elbow (yet to be finished)...I can guarantee you wont stop at one....getting ink'd really sets off the endorphins and such...it's like a natural high....even hearing the buzz of the gun after you are ink'd sets it off again....

o yeh. weve got a new shop in town, and i could hear the needle from ACROSS the road! LOL. had me salivating quite a bit, as its been a few years since ive had one done.

ive got 6 tattoos... a rose on my ankle and 5 butterflies on my shoulderblades. they can all be displayed if i choose to do so. but mostly i wear shirts and long pants that cover them.
i am booked in on two dates next year [earliest i could get in to the best artist in town!] one for an armband, and another butterfly on my back. the armband i will likely display as much as possible... its going to be the 7 dwarfs, a tat i have wanted since i was about 12.

i dont mind visible tats if they are tasteful. theres no way id hire someone with a gang name across their throat or something like that. otherwise its each to their own. i may not like it, but 100 other people may love it.

raftn

6th October 2008, 10:28

My sister got one first, the old man went nuts about it, then my brother got one, then i got one.....and then wait for it..........my Mother got one, yes at 63 she got a tatoo.........such a kewl chick! Dads given up complainging now, and is under pressure to conform to the rest of the family! But god help my kids if they ever come home with one...................!!!!!!

insomnia01

6th October 2008, 11:58

I have had my legs/butt & half way up my back done in traditional Ta moko.. during summer when I'm in shorts it certainly draws a gaze or two from people. I was in a super market sometime ago now when a lady in her 70's said to me " I love your leg's & don't mind the tattoo's either " :confused::shit::no::chase:

sunhuntin

6th October 2008, 12:02

LOL! gotta love the old ladies eh?

Oscar

6th October 2008, 13:38

If you really want to express yourself buy a breast pump.:rofl:

I chose to be an individual. I reckon pretty soon I'l be the only person left in the world without a tattoo.

I hear ya, fellow curmdgeon!

Tat on the neck = crim
Visible tat on chick = slapper

scumdog

6th October 2008, 14:29

I hear ya, fellow curmdgeon!

Tat on the neck = crim
Visible tat on chick = slapper

REALLY bad luck if you happen to be a sheila with a tat on you neck eh!:shit:

Oscar

6th October 2008, 14:40

REALLY bad luck if you happen to be a sheila with a tat on you neck eh!:shit:

Seriously, I thought about getting a tat once or twice (and still might, a Cross of St George on one shoulder and a Silver Fern on t'other), but it's hard to shake off the old prejudices.

The other thing is context.
It looks good at twenty, but what's it gonna say about you at forty?
It's not like they rub off...

HenryDorsetCase

6th October 2008, 14:44

the armband i will likely display as much as possible... its going to be the 7 dwarfs, a tat i have wanted since i was about 12.

Ha~ :)

cool! whistle while you work etc

Forest

6th October 2008, 16:36

LOL! gotta love the old ladies eh?

Some old ladies love tattoos. ;)

Pics from following link. Some photos in the link are NSFW.

http://damncoolpics.blogspot.com/2007/05/worlds-most-tattooed-woman.html

JATZ

6th October 2008, 20:47

I can tell when customers have caught a glimps of the ones on my chest, can generally tell whether they aprove of tats or not,If only they knew.

The Lone Rider

6th October 2008, 22:41

I think the bigger stigma is "tramp stamps"

But I know on the right girl and tastefully done it's pretty awesome. And reverse tramp stamps are the bees knees. Yum :D

Forest

6th October 2008, 22:50

I think the bigger stigma is "tramp stamps"

Here in Aussie they call them "Arse Antlers".

BALZYBUELL

17th October 2008, 21:32

tattoos are the shisney:Punk:

scumdog

17th October 2008, 21:42

tattoos are the shisney:Punk:

Or is that 'shizzle'??

20th October 2008, 14:06

There is a tattoo show on November the 1st and 2nd in the Hutt put on by Tattoo Stu.

Make sure you lot come along for a look see :)

Brett

21st October 2008, 06:52

I have never seen so many people with tattoos as I have here in Malta. I would say that probably 60-70% of the population have one.

I had my first one done this year, inner forearm. Am contemplating getting more, but non below the elbow as I often work suit and tie professions.

21st October 2008, 10:53

RiderInBlack

17th March 2009, 12:56

My first Tatoo. Just got it done!! I love it. What ya think? (see RIB's Tattoo (http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/album.php?albumid=1786))

Madmax

18th March 2009, 22:32

Apparently Nz is the most tattooed bunch of pot smokers in the world :whistle:

so what?

:devil2:

21st March 2009, 19:18

My bestmate that is teaching me how to tattoo, his daughter of 8 years old tattooed a heart on my wrist today, after I tattooed a clothes peg on my leg. Now I'm a pirate. I'm past the point of giving a fuck about what other people think :)

buellbabe

23rd March 2009, 06:44

Hey Riderinblack! Just checked it out...well done. I LIKE!

Skyryder

23rd March 2009, 12:09

I think there is now a greater proportion of society that has tattoos. Where once this acceptance was only in the male domain this has now crossed over the the female.

I have mentioned some of the historical aspects of the tattoo in other posts so will not go into this in any detail here other than to say taht men have always to some extent accepted the tattoo on males there has been some reluctance for the same acceptance with females.
Some woman in Victorian times had tattoos but these were discreet and could not be seen in public. It could be argued that the dress standard of the time gave little oppertunity compared to todays acceptance of more liberal dress codes.

The other oddity here is that it was the male lower classes navies, seamen etc that got the tattoo the complete opposite occured with the female where the aristocroacy and the so called 'upper classes' of female got themselves 'inked.' The same is true of drugs but this is another issue.

I could be wrong in this but I think the difference in the reasoning why the two sexes get tattoo's may be vastly different too.

While I have no tattoo's myslef I do on occasions watch some of the 'ink. shows' on TV and there appears to be three main reasons why people get tattoos.

The guys see it mainly as an image thing. The artwork projects the image that they see themselves. Some it is a rememberance thing.

The rememberance thing is more a female reason and is usually associeted with the death of someone.

But by far of the most females get a tattoo to enhance their femininity. The tattoos are placed in areas that many men associate as a sexual part of the body and in keeping with the victorain woman is usually placed in a relitively discreet loacation.

There are however still large sections of the population who still hold strong views of tattoos. This I believe is more of cultural thing born out of the western tradition where tattoos have not been a part of our cultural heritage but socity is more liberal in it's tollerance than what it has been in the past, so any objections are in the most part not of heard in public.

Skyryder